1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel (PDP) using xenon iodine (XeI) as an ultraviolet (UV) emitting source.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional PDP, Xe mixture gas has been typically used as an UV emitting source. However, since the UV emitting efficiency is very low in the conventional PDP, that is, at most 1 to 2%, there has been demand for markedly increasing the UV emitting efficiency. The low UV emitting efficiency mainly results from self-absorption in the ground state of Xe when a PDP is discharged.
To solve the above problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel with high UV emitting efficiency while suppressing self-absorption.
To accomplish the above object, there is provided a plasma display panel using excimer gas, wherein mixed gases of xenon (Xe) and iodine (I), which is a halogen, for forming excimer gas, are used as discharge gases.
Excimer gases are used as a highly efficient UV emitting source in laser application fields. Most excimer gases have a wavelength longer than a 147 nm resonance wavelength of Xe. Among excimer gases, a rare-gas halide excimer gas has a wavelength longer than that of a rare-gas dimer mixture. Among halogens, iodine is the least reactive of all naturally existing halogens, and when used in a PDP, gives the PDP a long lifespan.
Also, according to the present invention, a PDP using XeI has high photon energy efficiency due to 254 nm radiations based on XeI. Also, since the emission energy of XeI is reduced, compared to the conventional case in which Xe is used as an UV emitting source, phosphors present in the PDP are less damaged.
Further, the best advantage of the PDP according to the present invention is that phosphors used in existing fluorescent lamps can be employed therein, because the emission wavelength of XeI is substantially the same as the main emission wavelength of a conventional fluorescent lamp, i.e., 254 nm.